Apparatus for cooling liquids



Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,461

H. W. TAYLOR ET AL- APPARATUS FOR COOLING LIQUIDS Filed June 50, 1927 HHLSEY wma Lam JfiMES' T- EMITH 5%, wm g fit) Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES I 1,689,461 PATENT OFFICE.

HALSEY W. TAYLOR, OF WARREN, AND JAMES T. SMITH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO; SAID SMITH ASSIGNOB TO THE HAIJSEY W. TAYLOR COMPANY, OF IVARREN, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR COOLING LIQUIDS.

Application filed June 30,

This invention relates to apparatus for and a method of cooling liquids, particularly liquids delivered under pressure through taps, faucets, or other fixtures, for example, as in a drinking fountain wherein a running stream of drinking water is obtained from a source of supply under pressure. As such drinking fountains and dispensing apparatus are used in public places, restaurants, shops, etc., the demand thereon is very constant and heavy at times, and the cooling appliances and methods known to me and in general use are frequently inadequate under heavy demand to cool the water satisfactorily. The primary purpose of the present invention, therefore, is to overcome such unsatisfactory results and conditions and promote instead the cooling of the water rapidly and constantly while continuouslydelivering a stream of water in substantial volume frequently or continuously for a long period of time. Other objects of the invention are embodied in the details of the invention, all as hereinafter shown and described and more concisely set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a cabinet embodying a drinking fountain fixture and a dispensing faucet, together with a cooling apparatus constructed according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the formation of the double pipes or tubes composing the cooling coil.

As shown, the cooling appliance-A is installed in a drinking fountain and water dispensing cabinet B, which cabinet may be of any desired construction or design. Suitable refrigerating appliances C are also contained in the base of this cabinet, the showing being in part diagrammatic. It should be under stood, however, that the refrigeratingappliance or operating unit C may be located outside of the cabinet, more or less remotely therefrom, as is the practice in some installa tions, and that the compressor thereof may be either air or water-cooled. In brief, appliance C may be of any known type or kind adapted to supply the water cooling appliance or coil A with a liquid or gaseous refrigerant, and preferably, we use mechanism whereby refrigerating operations are controlled automatically, either by the pressure or temperature produced in the system.

The water cooling appliance A consists of 1927. Serial No. 202,553.

a coil of double pipe of any desired length, the coil as a whole being of a diameter adapted to be confined within a compartment 2 in cabinet B beneath a top 3 carrying an overflow bowl 4 for a fountain head or nozzle 5. A valve 6 may be used to control the flow of water to nozzle 5, or this valve may be omitted when a continuous flow is desired. In the present instance, a faucet 7 is also connected to a discharge fitting 8 having pipe connection with the water discharge head 9 of cooling coil A, and which coil is composed of two sleeved pipes, 10 and 11, respectively. The inner pipe 10 is of somewhat smaller diameter externally than the internal diameter of outer pipe 11 to provide a relatively narrow passage 12 through which a thin film or body of water or other liquid to be cooled may flow in constant contact with inner pipe 10. The refrigerant is caused to flow through the inner pipe in a direction counter to the flow of water through passage 12, and in the present instance the refrigerant intake end of pipe 10 passes through head 9 and connects with an expansion valve 14. A small pipe 15 conducts a liquid refrigerant from a condensing unit 16 to expansion valve 14, and the evaporating refrigerant passes from the expansion valve to inner pipe 10 and thence to the lower or outletend 17 of this pipe where connected to the compressor 18 for return to the condensing unit 16. The water to be cooled is conducted by a pipe 19 to a hollow head 20 on the outlet end of inner pipe 10 and thence through the entrance to out-er pipe 11 where connected to said head, the water flowing upwardly in a thin body through the annular space or passage 12 between the inner and outer pipes 10 and 11, respectively.

The life and operativeness of such a double coil is largely dependent upon the size of the water circulating space or passage 12. By making this space very narrow the water may be caused to flow in a thin film or layer over pipe 10 containing the refrigerant so that the heat may be readily and quickly removed. The velocity of flow of the water is also increased, which is useful in breaking up high resistance at the surface of inner pipe 11 where the actual heat transfer takes place. Moreover, a narrow water passage or series of small passages will not permit an ice body of dangerous thickness to be produced should the thin body of water between the two pipesfreeze solidly, and in practice it is desirable to limit the size, that is the thickness, of the water passage between the pipes to such dimensions that the maximum expansion of any ice body formed in the passage will not expand outer pipe 12 beyond its own elastic limit, that is, beyond the elastic limit of the metal wall of the pipe itself. In this way rupture of the outer pipe is prevented in case the thin sheet of water should freeze solidly due to accidental malfunction of the automatic refrigerating appliances C.

Outer pipe 11 is preferably fluted or corrugated to provide a series of spacing and contacting ribs 21, whereby the two pipes are spaced uniformly in respect to each other. These flutes or corrugations extend longitudinally of pipe 11 but may be spirally formed therein, and in addition to serving as spacing elements they also serve other useful purposes, that is, they provide yielding or flexible places in the circular Wall to permit the pipe to expand without rupture should ice form and expand Within passage 12, and they also extend the heat exchange area of the inner pipe at numerous radial places thereof and divide the annular space between the two pipes into separate passages through which separate small streams of water may circulate with advantageous cooling results.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. An apparatus for cooling drinking water, comprising a chambered body having a drinking fountain at its top, and a cooling coil confined within said chambered body comprising two pipes sleeved one within the other and spaced apart to provide a water passage having an outlet connected to said drinking fountain, the inner pipe having intake and outlet connections at its opposite ends for a refrigerating fluid.

2. An apparatus for cooling drinking water, comprising a cabinet having a cooling coil contained therein together with refrigerating appliances, said coil comprising two pipes sleeved one within the other and spaced slightly apart. from each other to provide a water circulating passage, said outer pipe and passage having water intake and discharge connection, and the inner pipe having intake and discharge connections for a refrigerating fluid circulated by said refrigerating appliances.

3. In an apparatus for cooling liquid, the combination of an insulated cabinet containing a circular coil of sleeved pipes, with automatic means for rapidly circulating and evaporating a refrigerant lengthwise within and through the inner pipe in heat exchange relation with a thin stream of liquid passing in a counterdirection around the inner pipe and through the outer pipe.

4. In an a paratus for cooling liquids, an insulated ca met containing sleeved pipes coiled compactly therein, each pipe having separate intake and outlet connections, valved means for controlling the discharge of a liquid passing through the space between the sleeved pipes, and automatic means for delivering and passing an expansible refrigerant rapidly throu h the inner pipe with evaporating eflect throughout its course in counterdirection to the flow of said liquid in the outer pipe.

5. An apparatus for cooling liquids, comprising a cooling coil made of relatively long pipes of small diameter sleeved together to provide separate contiguous passages of small cross-sectional area for the liquid to be cooled and for the refrigerant, means for withdrawing the liquid from one pipe at one end of said coil, and an expansion valve for the refrigerant connected to the other pipe at the liquid discharge end of said coil.

6. In an apparatus for cooling liquids delivered under pressure, a cooling coil made of two pipes sleeved together partly in in timate contact and partly in closely spaced relation, in combination with means for controlling the passage of the liquid through one pipe,.and fiieans for delivering a refrigerant to the second pipe at the liquid discharge end of said coil.

7. An apparatus for cooling a stream of liquid, comprising a relatively long coil made of small pipes sleeved together in spaced relation to provide separate contiguous passages for a refrigerant and the liquid to be cooled, means for connecting one pipe to a source of liquid under pressure, means for controlling the discharge of liquid from said pipe, an automatic valve for controlling the delivery of a refrigerant to the second pipe, and automatic means operatively dependent upon the working conditions within said coil for controlling the delivery of said refrigerant to said valve.

8. An apparatus for cooling a stream of liquid comprising a cooling coil made of two pipes sleeved together to provide separate passages for a liquid and a refrigerant, separate intake and discharge connections at opposite ends of said coil for said liquid and refrigerant, manually operable means for controlling the delivery of the liquid from said coil, and means for automatically controlling the flow of the refrigerant through-said coil, including an expansion valve at the intake end thereof.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

HALSEY W. TAYLOR. JAMES T. SMITH. 

